


El Paso

by CallmeG



Series: "What's your emergency?" [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, Gen, M/M, but sneaky, imagine if Eddie’s parents were good parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallmeG/pseuds/CallmeG
Summary: Eddie makes a request and on the way back to LA, he Hen and Buck make a detour to his childhood home.
Relationships: Eddie Diaz & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: "What's your emergency?" [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123247
Comments: 5
Kudos: 134





	El Paso

“Hey, guys, would we be able to make a detour?”

“Gas station isn’t for another twenty miles, Eddie, if it’s a bathroom break we’re not pulling over until then,” Hen called from the driver’s seat. Buck was drooling against the window, as usual, and Eddie grimaced.

“No, uh, I was wondering if we could make a stop in El Paso.”

“Isn’t that where your parents are?”

“Yeah. They, uh- they heard I was in town for the fires... invited all of us to dinner.”

Silence- well, silence _plus_ Buck’s snoring.

“Yeah, I think we can make a detour for that.”

Hen resets the map and turns off the highway toward El Paso. Snuggling back down, Eddie closes his eyes to try and nap. A hand landed on his knee and he jolted awake, turning to Hen.

“Hey. What do we need to expect from them?”

“I have no idea. I haven’t seen them since, well-“

“-okay.”

Hen squeezed his shoulder, nodding toward the pillow Eddie had made out of his jacket.

“Get some sleep; I’ll wake you when it’s time to swap over.”

“Thanks Hen.”

“Edmundo! Is that you honey?”

“Sí, mama.”

Rounding the corner into the entryway of her home, Helena Diaz put her hands on her hips and broke into a smile.

“Come here, my handsome man.”

“Ugh, ma-“

Eddie wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge his mother’s hug, suffocating him in her arms and Buck turned to Hen, raising an eyebrow at her but she only shrugged.

“You must be Buck. It is so lovely to finally meet you. Edmundo talks about you all the t-“

“- _ **ma**_!” Eddie cut her off, cheeks pink, and Buck broke into a huge grin as he shook Helena’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Diaz,” he said, grin similar to the Cheshire Cat’s while Hen rolled her eyes and stepped forward.

“Hi Mrs Diaz, I’m Hen.”

“Oh! Hen! Edmundo thinks so highly of you. Going to medical school to become a doctor is such an impressive-“

“- _mother_ , is dad home yet?”

Helena kissed Hen’s cheek, turning back to Eddie with hands on her hips.

“He’s not, and I expect you three to be washed up and ready for dinner by the time he is. Hen, you are welcome to use the bathroom upstairs to freshen up; Edmundo, there are fresh towels, shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom down the hall.”

“Thank you, mama, but we’re only planning to stay for dinner-“

“-nonsense!” Helena persisted, “you must stay the night. After fighting those fires, you need at least a hot meal and a good night’s rest before you can drive back.”

“I’m not opposed to that,” Buck said and Hen shrugged.

“That sounds so nice. Thank you, Mrs Diaz.”

“Please, call me Helena. You and your team have helped Edmundo-“

“-Eddie, mama,” Eddie begged while Hen and Buck struggled to keep from laughing.

“-Edmundo, a little respect please. As I was saying, you three are welcome to stay tonight. We have plenty blankets and baby photos to share.”

Buck’s eyes widened with pure, unadulterated excitement and Eddie groaned at the thought of Buck having copies of his baby photo.

He wouldn’t be able to live that one down. Like, ever.

Following Helena toward the upstairs bathroom, Hen picked up a polite conversation.

“If you don’t mind me asking, has your son always been this stubborn?”

“If his middle name wasn’t-“

“- _mama_!”

Ramon Diaz was similar to his son in the sense he wasn’t much of a talker, but he didn’t have a rude bone in his body. He shook Eddie’s hand, greeted Hen and Buck, before settling into his armchair and Buck took note of how traditional the family was. Briefly he wondered if Eddie was a little closed off because of his upbringing. Helena was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on dinner (which Hen had called out to tell her it smelled amazing) while Buck paged through Eddie’s baby book with glee. He’d never seen Eddie turn so many shades of pink and he almost considered stopping before the baby photos became a conversation starter with Ramon.

“Eddie was our last baby; our only boy, so of course his mother spoiled him rotten. He barely had to cry before his mother or sisters were there.”

“Woah! Eddie, I didn’t know you were a-“

“-dinner’s ready! To the table please everyone.”

They all sat down, and Eddie nudged Buck’s elbow off the table.

“No elbows, not if you don’t want the wrath of my mother’s wooden spoon,” he warned. Buck tucked himself in immediately, elbows off the table and long legs tucked under the table. All three firefighters were over six feet (in Hen’s case, she’s 5’11) so it took a moment for them all to fit. Once they had themselves sorted out, Helena placed everything on the table.

“Let’s say Grace,” she suggested and Eddie winced. He hadn’t said Grace, nor had he been to church, since he left El Paso for Afghanistan.

There are just some things you don’t tell your parents.

For example, only a couple hours ago Buck had his hand down Eddie’s pants in the truck while Hen fuelled up and took a bathroom break. Shifting in his seat, Buck fidgeted nervously and Eddie subtly placed a hand on Buck’s thigh. That seemed to help him settle so Eddie served them both.

“Buck, what is your birth name? We can’t just call you Buck during Grace,” Helena asked politely and Eddie squeezed his hand under the table.

“It’s Evan, ma’am. Evan Buckley.”

“My parents decided to call me Henrietta; I’ve been going by Hen since I was twenty,” Hen added and Helena took a moment to think before the table joined hands and she said Grace. When she was finished the table fell into easy conversation; mostly about the recent fires but also some of the recent antics around the firehouse, and Buck’s sister’s baby almost due. The best thing to do if you wanted to start a conversation was ask Buck about Maddie’s baby; he could talk for days, he was fascinated and grossed out at the same time.

“Oh, Ramon, don’t you remember when Adrianna and Sophia were born? How beautiful they were...”

“And then Eddie came along.”

Ramon had a twinkle in his eyes, something Buck realised meant he was teasing, and he smiled.

“What was Eddie like? As a kid, I mean,” Hen asked before taking another bite of mashed potato. Both Ramon and Helena burst out laughing while Eddie looked humiliated.

“Do you remember that one time we found him playing with Adrianna’s makeup?” Helena giggled and Ramon nodded fondly.

“What about when he got sent to the principal’s office for challenging a kid to a burping contest?”

“Did you win?” Buck asked, turning to Eddie who just blushed harder. He winced.

“Ah, no. I-“

“-the reason he got sent to the principal’s office was because right as the other kid was about to burp, Edmundo here shoved his arm and the little one smacked his head on the desk! I still remember getting that phone call...” Helena trailed off, a fond smile on her face and Ramon took her hand to squeeze it on the table. For a moment Buck wanted to do the same with Eddie, but he remembered at the last moment.

“What about Christopher; what is he up to these days?” Ramon asked and immediately Eddie and Buck were in their element.

“A couple months ago, he got really into the idea of skateboarding,” Eddie began and Ramon cocked an eyebrow.

“That sounds dangerous,” he said tentatively and Eddie nodded.

“It is. There was an incident at school and he’s lucky he wasn’t badly hurt. The teacher told me it wasn’t possible for a kid with his condition to ride a skateboard, but Buck...”

Eddie had to make sure he looked at his parents and not Buck, otherwise he’d go into what Chim had dubbed as “mushy-Eddie-mode”.

“Buck built him a frame for a skateboard so he could hold on to it and as long as Eddie was there, Chris was perfectly safe,” Hen finished, Eddie nodding while Helena smiled.

“Thank you, Evan, that sounds wonderful. According to Edmundo, you spend a lot of time with him and Christopher. I hope you don’t feel burdened-“

“-Christopher would never be a burden. He is such a well behaved kid, and your son is okay to hang out with. Sometimes.”

Buck winked at Eddie, who rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to kiss him. Dammit.

After dinner Eddie, Hen and Buck did the dishes to give Helena the night off and she kissed all three of them on the cheek before going into the living room. Buck, on drying duty, leaned close to Eddie.

“Hey, they really love you.”

“Only sometimes,” he deadpanned and Hen gently nudged him.

“They do. They just suck at showing it when you need it. What happened at Shannon’s funeral, it just-“

“-I know. They were worried about Christopher.”

“They were worried about you, too, Eddie,” Hen explained softly and Eddie shrugged.

“If they were worried about me, they wouldn’t have tried to take Christopher.”

Buck and Eddie were set up together in Eddie’s childhood bedroom, unchanged since his 18th birthday, while Hen got the girls’ bedroom upstairs. There were only a couple of jokes made about Eddie being a spoiled last child who got his own room, but that ceased when they split and Buck got Eddie alone. Wrapping Eddie up in a hug, door closed and locked, Buck didn’t hesitate to kiss him.

“I think I want your family,” he said and Eddie smiled sadly, running his hands down Buck’s back to gently hold his ass.

“You won’t when they figure us out.”

“What do you mean? Babe?” Buck asked, immediately protective and Eddie dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

“Traditional upbringing for both of them, following on for me and my sisters. I don’t- I don’t think they would love to hear that their only son is a flaming bisexual.”

“Well, in that case, they can kiss my ass and no, they can’t meet my niece. Only nice people can meet my niece.”

Buck kissed Eddie again, holding his waist.

“Do you want to sleep together, or apart?” He asked.

“Together. My bed can hold both of us, I’m not going to make you sleep on the floor.”

“Well, thanks? I guess?”

The next morning, Hen knocked on the boys’ bedroom door and softly called to them.

“Buck, Eddie, can I come in?”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t!” Buck called back, shortly followed by the sound of something knocking against the wall and Hen backed up, reaching for her phone in her back pocket.

**Firefam minus dad and Chim**

_Hen:_ you two are not seriously doing that in Eddie’s childhood bed are you??

 _Hen:_ guys. Gross.

“Out in a sec!” Eddie yelled back and Hen grimaced.

“No, you take your time! I just wanted to ask if you wanted coffee.”

“Yes!” Buck and Eddie yelled simultaneously and Hen rolled her eyes as she backed down the hallway slowly.

“Are the other two still asleep?” Helena asked, scaring the living shit out of Hen who shoved her phone in her pocket and coughed really loudly to pretend there wasn’t the sound of some violent banging going on in Eddie’s room right now.

“I just, uh- they just woke up. Eddie said he would love some coffee.”

“Henrietta, may I ask you something? It’s... personal, and we’ve just met, but-“

“-ask away. I’m an open book.”

“Is Edmundo- Eddie... is he, are he and Christopher... happy?”

Hen released a breath. For a second there she thought Helena was going to ask about booty central down the hall.

“He is- they both are. Christopher is adored at school, at home and with us. He and Buck share this incredible bond- maybe it has to do with the tsunami they were in together I’m not sure, but they just seem to get each other. Christopher has been such a good influence for Buck and Buck has been a new set of eyes for Christopher in return. And as for Eddie, well- he’s closed off, and he has his reservations which is fair enough, but our fire captain Bobby keeps Eddie’s head on straight for him. Bobby is kind of like our second dad sometimes and we love him for it.”

Helena softened, giving Hen’s arm a squeeze.

“Thank you. Thank you for taking care of my boy.”

“Please. He takes care of all of us.”

Hen looked toward the bedroom and winced, reaching for Helena.

“Let’s drink coffee, and I’m sure you’ve got all kinds of stories for me to take home to the rest of our team.”

“Of course I do.”

“ _Edmundo_ , mijo, did you brush your hair?”

Eddie swatted his mother’s hand from his hair playfully, taking a sip of coffee.

“I kinda like the curls,” Hen said, before Buck could accidentally out himself.

“I do too, but he never listens when I tell him,” Helena agreed. She brushed a hand over Eddie’s shoulder in a motherly fashion, before settling on Buck.

“Henrietta tells me I have you to thank for keeping Christopher safe in the tsunami.”

Eddie and Buck simultaneously choked while Hen wished she hadn’t opened her mouth. Dammit. She knew Eddie hadn’t told his parents about that.

“I- I just thought about what Eddie would do to me if I came home without Chris, and I- I couldn’t let go without finding him. Whether he was alive, or-“

“-ahem,” Eddie cleared his throat, rubbing his hands on his jeans.

“We should get going, mama, we still have at least another twenty hours of driving ahead of us, so-“

“-of course, of course. It has been so lovely to meet you both, Henrietta and Evan, and I hope you know you two are welcome back here the next time you’re in Texas.”

Then Helena rounded on Eddie.

“And you, my boy. Stop growing up. No more getting buried under dirt. If I hear so much as one instance of you being an idiot-“

“-Buck does enough of that for the both of us,” Eddie deadpanned. He broke into a smile and got up to hug his mother. She kissed his cheek and hugged him tight, sighing into his shoulder.

“Be safe, Edmundo,” she whispered loud enough for Buck and Hen to hear.

“It’s okay, mama, I’m a firefighter now. I’m not going back to Afghanistan,” Eddie soothed. They separated and Helena cupped her son’s cheek for a moment before letting go.

“Okay. Call me when you get home safe, honey. Bye Henrietta, Evan!”

On the way out the door, Buck felt Eddie nudge his hand and he didn’t even hesitate, intertwining their fingers. There wasn’t a reaction from Helena, so Eddie reached his other hand down and gave Buck’s ass a swat. Buck, still a little sensitive from earlier, jumped and squeaked but he smacked a hand over his mouth.

“Edmundo Diaz!” Helena yelled and Eddie gulped.

“Respect your lover! I should give you a smack right now!” She exclaimed and Buck burst out laughing while Hen tried not to show her amusement at Eddie getting his ass handed to him. Helena did indeed smack him over the back of the head, before giving him a second kiss.

“I’m glad you’re happy, sweetheart,” she whispered and Eddie softened.

“Thank you, mama.”

“Any more detours, _Edmundo_?” Hen teased as she climbed into the front passenger seat of the fire truck.

“Well, I have an uncle, he smokes a lot of marijuana-“

“- _Eddie_.”


End file.
